Saffron Finch

Sicalis flaveola

The Birds of the World website introduces the Saffron Finch with this descriptive information:A bright yellow songbird of South America, there has been some disagreement as to whether the Saffron Finch belongs in the family Emberizidae with the sparrows or Thraupidae with the Tanagers. The Saffron Finch can be found in open and semi-open areas in lowlands outside the Amazon Basin. There are three, separate populations one in northern Colombia and Venezuela; another in Ecuador and Peru and the third in north-east Brazil to central Argentina. Mainly a seed eater, the Saffron Finch generally searches for seeds and small arthropods on or near the ground. Commonly kept as caged-birds, the Saffron Finch is very adaptable to human-modified habitats and subsequently is quite common throughout its range.

I met my first Saffron Finch on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.  Our Jeff Parker Tour group was staying at Southwild’s Pouso Alegre Lodge  and I watched this bird during an a walk on the lodge grounds.  Both males and females were common at the Lodge, especially around the feeders.  For details of my Brazilian trip that include the sighting of this bird, look here.  Below are a couple of my photos of this striking and energetic bird.  The first photo is a male, the second, a female.